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Food Review final documents released

The biggest review for thirty years of all legislation and regulations around food sold in New Zealand is entering its final consultation stage, with the release by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) of a position paper on the Domestic Food Review.

“Anybody involved the production, distribution or sale of food in New Zealand is likely to be affected by proposed changes to the way food is regulated,” says NZFSA Executive Director Andrew McKenzie.

“This is the most important of the documents for people to have input into as from here we will make recommendations to government on changes. The position paper and supporting information covers all of the areas we have already consulted on, includes ideas and feedback received, covers some new areas and includes extra detail on things like sanctions for non-compliance, examples of what small businesses might need to do, and how food safety education for fundraisers could be developed.”

Among those most likely to be affected by the proposals are small food businesses that do not currently have food control plans, risk management programmes or similar.

“We are looking at two main levels of food safety management. The core level, in which most cafes, corner dairies and so on will fall, will be covered by food control plans. There are two types of food control plans: off-the-peg templates provided at no cost will suit most small businesses and require little more than filling in the required information before registration and verification; and custom-made plans. These are similar to what many businesses already operate under, and the intention is to make the move from these to food control plans as seamless as possible.

“The other level is food handler guidance, which will be educational information for small one-off events such as fundraisers.

“In addition to these proposed requirements, the position paper outlines how approval and verification will be approached, and covers new options for both rewarding compliance and sanctioning non-compliance.

“All of this work has been done because New Zealand’s food law is 30 years old and it’s time to review it. Of even greater importance is the need to reduce New Zealand’s high incidence of foodborne illness. The proposals we are suggesting are designed to achieve clear outcomes and have sound science-based reasons behind them. That said, we still value the input of all people involved in food businesses and enterprises of all sizes, because it is they who can tell us what will work and what may not, and can suggest other options and solutions. We need that input to ensure that what we propose to government is the best solution for New Zealand, both for the present and for what our innovative food sector wants to achieve in the decades to come.

“I vigorously encourage everyone with an interest in the future of this country’s food laws to attend one of the workshops we are holding or to make a submission.

The NZFSA position paper, available online or in hardcopy from NZFSA, is accompanied by a short summary document and a plain language brochure. These can be downloaded from www.nzfsa.govt.nz or hardcopies posted at no charge by calling 0800 NZFSA1 (0800 693 721).

Public workshops begin on 20 February in Auckland, and will be followed by others in Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Napier, New Plymouth, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and Nelson. Details of times and venues are available by calling tollfree or emailing info@nzfsa.govt.nz

Submissions on the Domestic Food Review Position Paper close on 28 April 2006.

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All DFR information and documents are available online at: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy-law/projects/domestic-food-review/index.htm

For further comment contact: Carole Inkster, Director (Policy), phone (04) 463 2505
or (021) 241 2455

For further information contact: Diane Robinson, Senior Adviser (Communications), phone (04) 463 2528 or (021) 193 6405